


Over with

by chanmosphere



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst?, Broken/Back together, Domestic, Drama, Established Relationship, Fluff, KaiSoo - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-21 19:54:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13748103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chanmosphere/pseuds/chanmosphere
Summary: Baekhyun is tired of waiting.





	1. Chapter 1

Baekhyun checks the hour on his phone for the nth time. It’s just about fifteen minutes for their fly to be announced and Chanyeol has yet to arrive. His husband was supposed to be there with him two hours ago, he had promised to try and hurry with the _very important and sudden_ _meeting_ he informed him he had to attend this morning before they parted ways to their respective jobs. The trip had been planned with three months of anticipation; Baekhyun had made sure to plan everything with enough time ahead so Chanyeol would be able to clear his schedule by then.

Baekhyun should have known that, while he was working really hard to have all of his workload finished by that date, Chanyeol would be adding up more to his list of commitments, forgetting about his promise and compromises with him, _as always_. He should have known, believing in Chanyeol’s word was as naïve as to think his husband would actually care enough to _try_.

The voice of the woman through the speakers, announcing the boarding to their plane will be starting soon manages to startle him. He looks at the hour again and lets out a long and defeated sigh because well, if it was for him, he would just leave and enjoy those much needed and well-deserved vacations by himself, but alas, Chanyeol had insisted on being him the one keeping the tickets, arguing how messy and careless Baekhyun could be sometimes. _Right_.

There’s nothing else left to do for him at the airport, so he takes his bags and leaves, that familiar heavy feeling in chest sinking down.

It’s been going on like this for a while now. Baekhyun can’t really recall the moment it all started to crumble down right in front of him.

He had met Chanyeol back in college, when they both had a clear vision of their own future and an addition like this to their lives wasn’t on the plan, but after a lot of dates, a lot of warm smiles, gentle touches and passionate nights, they both decided that changes were good and so, a very hot day during their last summer break in college later, and after Chanyeol had almost drown in the pool of the party they were in by being drunk of his ass, he proposed: blabbered words and cheesy lines, making the promise of a wedding during winter season ─because none of them was really fond of the heat─, after they both landed their first stable job.

And it happened, an emotional wedding that had both Chanyeol’s and Baekhyun’s parents crying; memorable moments that they still keep captured on pictures on the photo album they have in a box under their bed along with a lot more memories of that day. A honeymoon that Baekhyun made sure they would never forget and the start of a new life that definitely wasn’t on their original plans. But changes were good, and Chanyeol was the greatest change he agreed on. Chanyeol made him happy, very much so; it felt like he had nothing to lose and so much to win. Or so he thought.

Baekhyun would like to remember when and how, maybe it started the day Chanyeol came home with a wide smile on his face and took him out for dinner to celebrate that much awaited promotion. After a long time, he had finally scored the spot of the head of the administrative department and he had to just take it from there. Maybe it started that night Chanyeol called him to let him know he wasn’t going to make it to his surprise birthday party Chanyeol himself organized.

The calls to let him know he would be late from work gradually ceased, he deemed it as Chanyeol thinking he would already know what was going on and so, the text messages also stopped. He can’t remember when the last time he received one from his husband was. Chanyeol would come home way into the night, crumpled shirt and swollen eyes, to wake up just a couple of hours later to get ready and leave again. There were no more dinners together, no more breakfasts nor half empty coffee mugs and rushed kisses in the morning.

Baekhyun remembers how many times he has tried to do something to fix whatever was wrong between them. Dates, lazy weekends, visits to their parents’ houses, lunch breaks, the idea of getting a dog so they could take it out for walks and spend some quality time together, all cancelled and rejected by Chanyeol because he simply didn’t have the time to do any of those things anymore, but with the promise of make it up to him, sometime, someday. He knew his job wasn’t as demanding as Chanyeol’s but that didn’t mean his husband couldn’t take a five minutes break to text him, Baekhyun didn’t care what, just one text would be enough for him. Baekhyun decided to just stop, there was no point on keep trying anyway.

Baekhyun started to feel left out, alone in that big apartment with no one to make him company. Chanyeol started going out to business’ dinner parties, business gatherings and more business compromises that Baekhyun thought, as Chanyeol’s husband, would be invited too. Chanyeol had casually commented, when they happened to be in the same room and not immersed on their own business, how his co-workers wives, partners and such, would attend those events. Baekhyun didn’t dare to ask at that time, too scare to start a fight he didn’t really have the energies to fight; Chanyeol hadn’t bothered on saying anything else about the subject either.

He honestly thinks that there’s nothing more of their relationship to salvage, Chanyeol doesn’t seem to care about him anymore and he’s tired of trying, tired of waiting for a sign that in fact, they can still save their marriage and go back to be happy. Because happiness is not a word on Baekhyun’s vocabulary anymore, he’s just… getting on with it, used to the familiarity their apartment and Chanyeol’s smell on his pillow and his clothes when Baekhyun sits on the floor of the laundry room and presses the pieces of fabric to his nose on a desperate attempt to feel his husband close again, offers him. He’s afraid to admit that it scares him to death the mere thought of being alone, or more so, of being without Chanyeol. For him, Chanyeol represents everything: safety, happiness, smiles, cheesy words, feeding each other not minding at all the fact of being on public places, warm cuddles during the coldest winters and home, Chanyeol is home… well, at least he used to be.

He sits now, crossed legs on the couch of the living room with his blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a book on his hands, a bag of barbeque chips next to him. It’s around three in the morning, twelve hours later and still no sign of Chanyeol, not a call, not a text to at least apologize. Nothing and it’s just then when the thought settles on Baekhyun’s mind; he can’t take this anymore, he _won’t_ ; he doesn’t deserve this. Baekhyun has already made up his mind, and _nothing_ will change it this time.

…

Chanyeol puffs his cheeks as he types the code on the security pad and sighs. He’s tired, his back and neck ache, he’s also hungry, his brain is pounding hard against his skull, he’s sure his eyes are red and swollen, and his muscles are tense. The only thing he wants right now is a warm bath, a hot cup of tea and get into bed, cuddle with his husband, sleep and not wake up until late. He finally, finally finished with the workload he had left and scored himself two weeks off, his first vacations since he started to work for that company.

Silence and darkness greet him the moment he steps into the apartment. Baekhyun must be asleep by now, so he carefully removes his jacket to hang it on the hook near the door and removes his shoes, he turns the light of the foyer on so he won’t trip with anything, noise is the last thing he wants right now. It’s only then that he sees them, Baekhyun’s suitcase and handbag next to the glass table; it takes him a moment before realization hits him, hard. _Their trip_. He completely forgot about it, too caught up on finishing everything that he didn’t even thought about sending Baekhyun a text or call him. His heart is racing, hitting against his ribcage and a dreaded feeling on his stomach. Baekhyun is going to be pissed, that’s for sure and he’ll have all the right to be, he had been planning that trip for over three months, which Chanyeol had thought to be a little exaggerated, but seeing the excitement on his husband’s face, the shine on his eyes and that smile that still makes his heart flutters was worth it, so Chanyeol let him be.

There's a dim light coming from the living room. Chanyeol frowns because is not like Baekhyun to leave any lights on before going to bed, so he turns around the wall that separates the foyer from the living room to find his husband sitting on the couch, seemingly focused on the book on his hands. Baekhyun doesn't acknowledge his presence even when he sits next to him, almost crushing the bag of chips with his thigh.

"Baek."

"You're home." Baekhyun says, absentmindedly.

"Uh yeah, I... I intended to call you earlier but─"

"Liar."

"What?" Chanyeol is quick to respond, confused frown on his face.

"You didn't _intend_ to call me, you forgot about it. Just as you forgot about what were supposed to do today." Baekhyun says, still pretending to be reading.

"Baek, I'm really─"

"No, stop. Don't you dare to say you're sorry." Baekhyun finally puts the book down and removes the blankets to stand up. "Not again, Chanyeol."

"We can reschedule the trip, we can leave tomorrow and keep up with your plans." Chanyeol offers on a desperate attempt to fix what he’s done. He knows how important this was for his husband.

Baekhyun lets out a bitter laugh. " _My_ plans, exactly. You never cared. There won't be any trip. Not now, not ever."

Chanyeol blinks, his confusion growing at every passing second. "Okay, now I think you're just overacting. You can’t be serious right now, it’s just a trip, we can reschedule it for tomorrow." He says, getting on his feet as well.

Baekhyun scowls and opens his mouth to say something but closes it again, skeptic of the words leaving Chanyeol’s mouth. "This is isn't _just_ about _this_ trip, Chanyeol. I'm tired of waiting for you. I'm tired of sitting here waiting for the moment you'll decide I am worthy enough of your time. I'm tired of wishing you'd see me as your husband again and not just as another pillow in your bed. I'm tired of being your second choice and I'm tired of being invisible in my own house."

"Baekhyun─"

"I'm done, Chanyeol."

"What─ what do you mean?" Chanyeol mumbles, his voice breaks at the same time a small tear starts to form in the corner of his eyes.

"I want a divorce."

"What?" Chanyeol blinks, breathing starting to race.

"You heard me right."

"No." Chanyeol shakes his head, refusing to meet Baekhyun's eyes. The fact that Baekhyun's not even hesitating with his words and that there's not a single trace of doubt in his eyes hurt. So much.

"Don't make it harder than what it has to be."

"You can't do this, Baekhyun. I love you, I─"

"Such a way of loving someone." Baekhyun says as he walks towards the door.

"Baekhyun, wait." Chanyeol reacts fast and follows his husband, grabbing him by the arm to stop him. "What are you doing? Where are you going? You can’t just─"

"I'll be staying with Kyungsoo in the meantime. I'll send the divorce papers sometime in the next week." He says, trying to pull away from Chanyeol's hold.

"Baekhyun, please."

"Let me go, Chanyeol."

"No, no." The taller shakes his head, ignoring the tears soaking his face. He can't think straight, everything hurts. "I can fix it; let me fix it, Baekhyun... please." He pleads.

Baekhyun feels in that moment his heart shattering. He doesn't want to cry, he doesn't want his weaknesses out right now, because he's sure of what he's doing, but seeing Chanyeol like that, breaking in front him it's hard. Baekhyun clenches his jaw and holds his breath to avoid the tears from falling. He loves Chanyeol, he never stopped doing it and he thinks he will never be able to stop, he just can't keep doing this anymore. This is the hardest thing he had ever had to do.

"You're hurting me, let me go." Baekhyun struggles in Chanyeol’s arms.

"No." Chanyeol still refuses. Baekhyun pulls on his arm trying not to hurt himself and not hurt Chanyeol. But the taller keeps his hold and tightens it.

Baekhyun gasps when suddenly Chanyeol pulls him closer to his body, wrapping his arm around his waist to stop him from going away and forces him into a kiss. Their mouths crash against each other painfully and Baekhyun groans, using his hands to try and break away from his husband. Chanyeol bites and pulls on his lower lip; Baekhyun lets out a cry of pain, gathering the strength to finally push him away. Chanyeol feels it before he sees it, Baekhyun's palm collapses against his cheek leaving a burning sensation on his skin.

"Don't you ever dare to do that again." Baekhyun snarls, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, seeing on his skin a small trail of blood from his lips. "Don't try to get in touch with me." He says as he gathers his stuff. "I'll contact you soon."

…

"I can’t believe he did that." Kyungsoo mumbles, softly brushing his thumb over Baekhyun’s wounded lip. He shakes his head and hands Baekhyun a cup of steaming tea. “Does it hurt?” Baekhyun shakes his head and sighs. “How are you feeling?”

"Terrible.” Baekhyun answers. “I honestly don't know how I managed to do it. You should have seen him, I─ I couldn't stand seeing him like that." Baekhyun bites on his lower lip, hissing at the small pinch of pain it produces him.

"Baek, maybe you should reconsider things. This is hurting you both."

"No, I've had enough. Even if I still love him, nothing assures me that once I forgive him, things will change. I don't want to stay stuck in that hole for the rest of my life."

Kyungsoo nods. "I understand and you know you're welcome to stay as long as you need, okay?"

"Thanks."

"And if you ever need to talk, I'm here."

"Thank you, really."

Kyungsoo chuckles and smiles, wrapping his arms around his friend on a comforting hug. "No problem." They stay like that for a moment. Baekhyun leans his head on Kyungsoo's shoulder and sniffles, thankful to his friend.

A moment later they hear the front door opening and they take that as their cue to slowly break away. Kyungsoo keeps his arm around Baekhyun's back, rubbing soothing patterns on his arm.

"Hey, guys." Jongin greets them as he makes his way towards his husband.

"Hi, honey." Kyungsoo smiles the moment Jongin leaves a kiss on his cheek.

"I hope this isn't a bother." Baekhyun says to Jongin.

"Oh, no. Not at all, don't worry." Jongin assures him.

"How is he doing?" Baekhyun asks, worriedly.

"Not good." He sighs. "When he told me this morning... he could barely bring himself to speak."

Baekhyun looks down at the table, trying to focus his eyes on his drink instead. But it's hard to ignore the sting in his chest and the burnt in his eyes. "Would you─ would you mind keeping an eye on him? You know how impulsive he can be." Baekhyun mumbles.

"Yes, of course."Jongin pats his friend's back.

"Go shower, dinner will be ready in ten minutes." Kyungsoo tells him, Jongin nods and disappears on the hall.

"You should do the same and then get some rest. I bet you haven't slept at all."

"I'm not hungry."

Kyungsoo nods. "It's alright, you can eat later, but at least get some sleep."

Baekhyun sighs and nods too. Kyungsoo gives him a last squeeze and lets him go. Baekhyun doesn't bother on turning any lights on, he keeps the curtains on the windows closed as he lies in bed, hugging one of the pillows close to his body while with the other he covers his face, there's no point on keep trying to hold back the tears. The pain in his chest becomes unbearable as time passes and he asks himself if doing this was the right thing to do. Just by remembering the expression on Chanyeol's face makes it hurt even more, he never intended to hurt him like this, he had actually thought that Chanyeol wasn't going to care, he honestly thought his still husband was just going to let him go.

He remembers all the reasons that bring him to do this and shakes the second thoughts out of his head. He can't back out now.

...

By Thursday next week, Chanyeol holds the divorce papers in his hands. Baekhyun's signature already there, mocking and screaming at his face how pathetic he is. The date for a meeting with their respective lawyers is inside a small envelope, along with a handwritten letter from Baekhyun that Chanyeol doesn't have the guts to read; he doesn't want to know what else Baekhyun has to say to him, Chanyeol doesn't think he's strong enough.

Chanyeol returns the papers into the manila envelope along with the smaller one, not ready to sign just yet. He leaves the envelope on the coffee table and gets on his feet, ready to return to bed, the only thing he can be thankful right now, is that he doesn't have to get up the next morning to go to work.

...

Baekhyun checks the hour on his phone and snorts, then again, he should have known. Now, he's sure that Chanyeol is one hell of an actor.

The restaurant is not so crowded and he's thankful for that. He and Chanyeol had always loved that place for the quiet atmosphere, plus the delicious food, and he thought there was no place better for them to try and talk things through.

Two hours, he sat there, apologizing to the waiter over and over again, and assuring him that his husband was coming. Two hours and a hald and he gets tired of waiting, once again. He pays the bill for the three cups of coffee and the slice of strawberry cheesecake he ate and leaves.

"I told you it was useless." Baekhyun mumbles as he slumps down on the couch next to Kyungsoo. A sulking expression on his face.

"You sure you gave him the right address?" Kyungsoo tries to excuse his other friend.

"We know that place like the palm of our hands, Soo. I feel so stupid right now." Baekhyun groans and rolls his head back. He tried, again.

…

_Before you sign, meet me at our favorite restaurant tomorrow at six. Let's talk, if there's still something to save of our marriage, I would like to try again._

_-Baekhyun_

…

Three months.

Three months of constant fights and fruitless meetings with their lawyers. Chanyeol still refuses to sign the papers. And on top of it all, he's shameless enough to admit that he didn't even bother on reading the note Baekhyun left him the first time he sent the papers, causing him to miss that appointment in particular. Baekhyun had snorted at his pathetic excuse.

Chanyeol doesn't cry anymore, he just attends to every meeting and sits through them without actually listening to anything they say. He still doesn't dare to look Baekhyun in the eyes, too ashamed to do it. After Baekhyun had mentioned the note and the meeting had ended, he had run back home. There it was, Baekhyun's prolix handwriting asking him to meet and try to fix things on their own. The black letters had seemed to be laughing at him, at his own stupidity. He had wanted to scream, to break everything around and to pull his hair; that was the first time in a while that he dared to cry again.

"I don't think this is a good idea, Yeol." Jongin says. Worry printed on his voice as they sit on the high stools by the bar.

Chanyeol quickly calls for the bartender and asks for their stronger drink.

"I signed the papers." Chanyeol says, downing the first shot. "We need to celebrate. Once those papers reach Baekhyun's hands, my marriage will be over."

"You─ you signed?" Jongin blinks.

"That's what Baekhyun wanted, wasn't it? If he doesn't want to be with me anymore I am no one to keep him from leaving." Another shot.

Jongin keeps silent, not knowing exactly what to say, thinking that his friend would hold himself there and try harder.

"Well, okay... but I still think this is not a good idea."

"Go home, Jongin. You do have a husband waiting for you and I don't want to be the one causing you troubles."

"Come with me, I'll drop you by." Chanyeol shakes his head. "Yeol─"

"Do you have any idea of how unbearable it is to have to stay in that house? Where everything reminds me of Baekhyun? Where his side of the bed still smells like him? Where his favorite shampoo's still in the bathroom because I'm pathetic enough to not throw it away? I can't Jongin, I just can't go back there, not tonight."

"I'll stay with you then. I'll call Kyungsoo and─"

"No, no." Chanyeol downs another shot. "He must hate me enough by now, just go, I'll be fine."

"Chanyeol─"

"Just leave, goddammit!" He hisses, slamming down the glass on the table.

Jongin hesitates for a second, but he ends up leaving, knowing that he's probably going to regret it.

…

It's around four in the morning when Baekhyun receives the call. His phone hasn't stop ringing for the past ten minutes; he's been trying to ignore it, drowning the sound by putting a pillow over his head, but the more it rings, the more insistent it sounds. He tosses the phone from his nightstand and looks at the screen, an unknown number flashing desperately, hurting his eyes.

"Hell─" Baekhyun's voice comes out raspy from sleep, he clears his throat and tries again. "Hello?"

Every word seems to hit him like a bucket of cold water, he's not sleepy anymore and before the woman on the other side of the phone can say anything else, he's grabbing the keys of his car and his wallet; in less than ten minutes, he's driving to the SNU Hospital, ignoring red lights and traffic signs, he just needs to get there.

"Park Chanyeol's room." He pants as he stands in front of the nurse on the reception.

"One moment, please." The woman there says, with all the calm of the world. Baekhyun doesn't have all the calm of the world right now.

"Miss, could you please, hurry." He palms the marble surface. She doesn't say anything, glances at him and back to the computer screen.

"Room 234-A, second fl─" Before she can finish, Baekhyun is long gone. Waiting for the elevator is not an option, so he runs up the emergency stairs.

When he finally spots the room, he tries to calm himself down. The last thing he wants is to make a scene.

"Excuse me, sir." A nurse stops him before he can put his hand on the handle. "You can't go in there, we’re still waiting for someone to come─"

"I'm his husband."

The nurse looks at him and then down to the clipboard on her hands. "Park Baekhyun?"

"Yes, yes. What happened?"

"You can go in, the doctor will be with you in a moment." And with that, she leaves him alone.

Now that he thinks about it, he's not sure he's ready for this. He doesn't want to see what's on the other side of that door. Baekhyun takes a deep breath, his hand steady on the silver handle. A deep voices catches his attention a moment later, Baekhyun turns around to face the tall man with the white coat and the clipboard in his hands.

"The nurse told me you’re the husband?" The doctor smiles. Baekhyun nods slowly at him. “You’re allowed to enter.”

"I─ I don't know... how is he?"

"Fortunately, he's out of danger now." Baekhyun feels his blood start running through his veins again and his chest alleviating.

"What happened?"

"Well, the man who brought him here told us he found him already unconscious on the sidewalk near a bars' area. He was assaulted and he stabbed in the stomach." Baekhyun gasps. "Don't worry, fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep enough and it didn’t damage any vital organ. Stopping the bleeding was easy, but he was highly intoxicated."

"W-what?"

"He was very drunk, Mr. Park. We currently have him under vitamins and electrolytes."

"But he's going to be fine, right?"

"Of course, he just needs to rest and regain some energy."

Baekhyun nods. "The man who brought him... did he say who he was?"

"Uh," the man flips one of the pages on his clipboard "Young Hyukwoo. Do you know him?" Baekhyun shakes his head. "Anyway, we found is ID on his pants' pockets, but his wallet and cellphone are gone, I suggest you to take care of that." Baekhyun nods, absentmindedly. "Is there something wrong, Mr. Park? The hospital offers help to the patients if needed, the alcohol volumes on his system were very high and─"

"We uh... we're going through a divorce right now. It hasn't been easy for any of us." Baekhyun explains, reluctantly. "But he's never been a drinker; this would be the first time something like this happens."

"I see..."

"I… I should go in now."

"Sure, it shouldn't be long before he wakes up."

"Thank you, doctor."

"If you need anything just call one of the nurses." Baekhyun thanks him again, bowing his head before the doctor walks away.

It feels worse than he thought it would feel, seeing Chanyeol in that bed, asleep with his naked torso all wrapped up in bandages and a few scratches on his face. It's something he never imagined he would see. His heart feels heavy as he slowly makes his way towards the bed; he looks down at his husband and bites on his lips, fighting back the urge to hold him in his arms, instead, he just brushes his fingers across his face.

"Why did you do that?" Baekhyun’s voice comes out strangled. "Oh god, I thought I was going to lose you, I─"

"That’s kind of ironic, don’t you think?" Chanyeol says, barely hearable. His eyes remain closed and Baekhyun is quick to retrieve his hand.

"How─ how long have you been awake?" Baekhyun asks, ignoring the real meaning of his husband's words.

"Just now... what are you doing here?"

"They called me... god, I was so worried."

"I'm fine, you should go home."

"I can't let you alone in here, I─"

"Really Baek, there's no need."

"Yes there is, and you'll shut up now." Baekhyun says with determination and that is enough to render Chanyeol into silence. Baekhyun knows is husband wants to say a lot more things, he's doing that thing of biting his inner lips every time he has words stuck in his throat, but he also knows that this is an argument he won't be able to win, so he stays quiet.

"I signed the papers." Chanyeol finally says after a while. Baekhyun looks up at him and blinks, confused by the strange feeling twisting in his stomach. That's what he wanted. Then why doesn't it feel right?

"You... you did?"

Chanyeol nods. "Yeah, they're in the house. You can go get them or I can drop them at Kyungsoo's if─"

"I'll─" Baekhyun shakes his head "I'll go get them later."

"Okay."

Another moment of silence fills the room. Baekhyun can clearly hear the dripping of Chanyeol's serum inside the tiny tube hanging from the metallic hook by the wall. He can hear people coming and going outside, hushed words being shared in the halls and the sound of the cars passing by the street through the window.

"Why?" Baekhyun asks. Chanyeol turns to look at him with confusion on his eyes. "Why did you sign them?"

It takes Chanyeol a few seconds to understand what Baekhyun means. "That’s what you wanted. I figured there was no point on trying to keep you tied to me when you obviously don't want that anymore." He starts explaining. "I've had a lot of time to think about what you said that day and─"

"Yeol..."

"And you're right, it's all my fault. I got too caught up on work that I forgot what was more important. I always wanted to give you everything, because you deserved it but I guess I lost track of my main goal. I forgot that I was doing it for you, for us… now, I've lost you and I'm paying for my mistake. I guess I deserved that."

"I... tried, Yeol, so many times..." Baekhyun mumbles.

"I know and you have no idea of how sorry I am for everything. I never intended to made you feel unwanted, much less unloved. Baekhyun you were─ you still are my everything, but I can't force you to remain by my side. I want you to be happy, even if it's not with me." Chanyeol speaks, avoiding looking Baekhyun in the eyes, focusing on the small red spot on the bandages. Baekhyun doesn't have the words to explain what he's feeling. He wants to yell at Chanyeol, punch him in the face, tell him how much he loves him, how much he wants to stay by his side, but he can't, the words seems to be stuck in his throat. "Can I... can I at least get a last hug?" Chanyeol asks, hopeful.

Baekhyun hesitates for a second but ends up complying. He hovers over Chanyeol, carefully wrapping his arms around his shoulders on an awkward position that has half of his body twisting painfully, but he doesn't care. Baekhyun can only think about how much he's going to miss this. Without thinking, he closes his eyes and presses his lips on Chanyeol's neck, and remains there for a few seconds. He realizes what he's doing when the door of the room opens; he quickly lets go of Chanyeol and turns around to face the new visitors. He finds Kyungsoo and Jongin standing by the door with worry printed on their faces.

"Hey..." Baekhyun gives them a weak smile.

"Is everything okay? That text you left me wasn't exactly calming." Kyungsoo frowns at him.

"Everything's fine."

"I'm so sorry man, I shouldn't have left you alone, I─"

"It's fine, Jongin. Is not your fault."

"Still, I knew you were going to do something stupid. I should just have dragged you out of that place."

"Don't sweat it, I'll probably be out of here in a few days."

"I'm gonna head to the cafeteria, you guys want anything?" Baekhyun then says.

"Thanks." Kyungsoo shakes his head.

"I'll go with you." Jongin offers himself and Baekhyun nods.

"So..." Kyungsoo starts once they're alone. "Jongin told me you signed."

"Yeah..."

"Have you told Baekhyun?"

"A moment ago." Chanyeol confirms.

"I thought you were going to fight for him." Kyungsoo crosses his arms against his chest. Chanyeol gives him a sad smile.

"I can't force him into anything, Soo. I don’t know if fighting would even be worth it."

"He still loves you, Chanyeol. I hear him cry every night; he eats once a day, twice if we're lucky. He just leaves the house to go to work and when he's home he barely leaves his room. It's killing him."

"It's killing me too."

"I just don't understand why are you doing this to each other. You clearly still love him too." Chanyeol keeps silent, eyes on his lap and fidgeting fingers.

"Being with someone implicates a lot more things than just _love_ and I failed him. I broke so many promises. He can find someone better, someone who can make him truly happy."

"God, you really are stupid, aren't you?"

"Soo, I really appreciate your friendship but right now I’m not in the mood to be insul─"

"Have you ever seen the way he still looks at you?" Kyungsoo sighs. "He fell in love with you even when you were that awkward guy from college. Hell, you were fucking drunk when you proposed and he still said yes! Who on their right mind does that?!" Chanyeol fights the smile that threatens to show on his face, but fails miserably. "I would have kicked Jongin in the balls if he ever dared to do that."

"Baekhyun is not like you, Soo. He's the fun one."

Kyungsoo snorts. "You get my point."

"I do, really, but you also have to understand. I'm just doing what he wants me to do. I didn't sign those papers because I'm happy with this, but what else can I do?"

"Not let him go...? I don't want to see my two best friends being miserable."

Chanyeol purses his lips and shakes his head. "It’s not up to me anymore."

Kyungsoo hums. "He doesn't want to divorce you."

Chanyeol turns to him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How would you know that? Did he say something to you?"

"He doesn't need to tell me anything, I can see it in his eyes. He's been having second thoughts since the moment he stepped into my house." Kyungsoo checks at his clock. "Anyway, I have to go. Just think about what we talked." He says before he leaves the room.

A moment later Baekhyun returns. There's a man with a white coat next to him, and they seem to be engaged in a very friendly conversation. Chanyeol blinks, he doesn't like the way the doctor smiles at his _still_ husband.

"Where's Jongin?" He asks, just to interrupt the way Baekhyun's lips start to curl up.

"Kyungsoo found us outside, they left already. Guess what?" Baekhyun chirps, too lively to meet Chanyeol's sudden sour mood. He knows he doesn't have the right─ no, scratch that, he still has the right to be jealous, especially when the doctor is not unpleasant to look at and he knows how Baekhyun can be a flirty little shit when he wants to.

"What?" It comes out sharper than he intended.

"Uh... you okay?" And he be damned, because Baekhyun had always have the special ability to read him and be right 99% of the times.

"Fine, what's up?" He looks up at his husband with a forced smile on his face. Baekhyun narrows his eyes, giving him a suspicious look, but doesn't say anything about it.

"Doctor Cho says you can go home tomorrow." Baekhyun's smile is back on his face.

"We'll just have to check that your wounds are healing fine and we'll see from there." The doctor butts in as he makes his way around his bed and stops next to the hook from where his serum hangs of. "How are you feeling? Any headaches, nausea, stomach pain?" Chanyeol shakes his head. "Good, I think we can remove this now, then. I'll send a nurse, it's time to change the bandages and give you another round of painkillers." Chanyeol nods. The doctor gives him a small smile and bows his head slightly, then he makes his way towards the door. "Mr. Park?"

"Yes?" Both Baekhyun and Chanyeol answer. Doctor Cho frowns, but the smile doesn't leave his face. "The... Mr. Park in the bed." He looks at Chanyeol. Baekhyun looks away, trying to hide the violent blush creeping up from his neck to his cheeks and ears.

"Yes?" Only Chanyeol says this time.

"Try not to move too much," he points at the small red dot right on his stomach "we don't want the stitches to open."

"Yeah, sorry. Thanks."

The doctor nods and then closes the door behind him.

"Uh..." Baekhyun starts "look what they had at the cafeteria." He says, reaching for something inside his pocket. He pulls out a rectangular packet of a bright green and Chanyeol's face lights up instantly.

"No way!" He tries to quickly sit up, only to flinch a little when his stomach bends and the stitches sting.

"Hey, be careful." Baekhyun reprimands him and walks closer. He hands him the packet with a small smile on his face.

"It's been ages since I ate one of these." He looks down fondly at the packet of green tea Kit-Kats.

"Well, it wouldn't be like that if you had eaten those 1,200 chocolates slowly, like I told you too." Baekhyun rolls his eyes playfully.

Chanyeol laughs at the memory. "I remember your face when you got home and saw the boxes all over the living room."

"What did you expect? No one plans on getting home to 120 boxes of candy. Especially not to your husband telling you how much he spent on those, _plus_ shipping fees." Baekhyun shakes his head, crossing his arms against his chest.

"They really hard to find here! And you weren't complaining later on." His tone is teasing, he wiggles his eyebrows at Baekhyun, making him blush furiously. He clears his throat and looks down at his feet. "Sorry," Chanyeol mumbles "That was out of place."

"It's fine." Baekhyun shakes his head and looks back at him.

"Uh... don't you have to go to work?" Chanyeol asks, trying to lead the conversation a more comfortable topic for the both of them.

"I called in and explained what happened. Don't worry."

Chanyeol sighs. "Baekhyun..."

"Don't start with me again, Park."

"I just... _why_? I mean, I thought you didn't want to see me anymore."

"The fact that we're going through this right now doesn't mean I don't care about you anymore, Yeol." Baekhyun mumbles. "How can I not be worried if you pull out these stupid stunts."

"It wasn't on purpose!" Chanyeol's fast to say. "I just..." he sighs "needed to forget about everything for a moment."

Baekhyun sighs and closes his eyes, biting on his lower lip as he thinks about what he's going to say next. He needs to be careful with his choice of words, he doesn't want Chanyeol to misunderstand, but must of all, he doesn't want to get his hopes too high. Baekhyun's still afraid of making a mistake; he doesn't want to go back to that painful routine.

"Yeol, I've been thinking and─"

"Good morning!" He's interrupted by the door opening and a cheerful voice. Baekhyun looks behind him in annoyance to find one of the nurses with a light pink uniform. "How are you?" She asks Chanyeol, passing next to Baekhyun with nothing more than a small smile directed to him.

"Okay." Chanyeol shrugs.

"Any pain?" She continues talking as she removes the needle from Chanyeol's inner elbow. Baekhyun can't help but snort at the painful expression on his husband's face.

"Baby." Baekhyun mutters, mocking Chanyeol's irrational fear of needles. The taller glares at him.

"We won't need this anymore." The nurse takes down the serum bag with the vitamins to replace it with a regular one, placing it over the small metallic table and going back to fuzz over Chanyeol. "Now, I'm gonna remove the old bandages, but I'm going to need you to sit up for a moment, can you do that?" Her voice is shrilly, and she speaks at Chanyeol slowly, as if speaking to someone that would surely not understand a word of what she's saying.

He tries to, but it's too much of a struggle to keep himself seated without his arms trembling.

"Baek, can you─" Baekhyun quickly nods and moves. He sits next to Chanyeol so he can wrap his arms around his neck and Baekhyun circles his own around his waist for more support. It would be a completely normal thing if it wasn't for their current situation. Still, Baekhyun can't help but lean into Chanyeol's warmth as the nurse starts to work on the bandages and then his wounds. He can feel Chanyeol flinching and hissing into his neck, making Baekhyun shiver involuntarily.

When the nurse is finally done, they both sigh in relief. Chanyeol because the torture is over and Baekhyun because he can finally step away from the taller. Having him that close is not good for him.

"They're healing perfectly well." She announces them, moving now to dispense the painkillers into his IV. "I'll talk to the doctor so he can give the order for you to leave tomorrow."

"Thank you." Chanyeol says

"You're welcome." She answers before she leaves.

Baekhyun sits on the couch on the other side of the room in silence. Chanyeol lies back on the bed and closes his eyes, ready for a nap. Their talk will have to wait, again.

…

It's been a week since he left the hospital. His boss had given him some time out to recover completely and Chanyeol has done nothing but eat, sleep and laze around in the couch. His wounds are healing well, he can change the bandages on his own now and Jongin makes sure to check on him every now and then, and although his friend assures him that is Baekhyun the one insisting on an everyday call, Chanyeol just shakes the thoughts off, not wanting to have his hopes up when in reality, Baekhyun can only be worried about him out of habit.

The signed papers are still over the coffee table. Baekhyun had told him the day they left the hospital he was going to drop by to pick them up the next day. He never did, Jongin always coming up with an excuse whenever Chanyeol asked him about it.

He's sitting on his couch, a blanket and a bowl of popcorn perched on his lap. Rocky III is playing on TV and Chanyeol deems it necessary to shove a handful of popcorns into his mouth every time Rocky aims a punch. That's something he used to do with Baekhyun, even when the older claimed to hate the movies, he liked to snuggle next to Chanyeol and feed him junk food throughout the whole movie.

Just when the climax of the story is developing, he hears the familiar sound of the front door opening; he frowns and pauses the movie, having to support his hand on the armrest to be able to stand up. When he turns around, Baekhyun is standing behind the couch with a bag on his shoulder.

"You haven't changed the security code." He mentions, pointing back at the door.

"I don't think that's necessary. You can come in any time you want, this is still your house too, after all." Chanyeol shrugs.

Baekhyun hums. "How are you doing?"

"Pretty good." Chanyeol nods.

"You're... watching Rocky... again." Is not a question, and Chanyeol smiles sheepishly as Baekhyun walks around the couch.

"I was bored and... yeah. I suppose you're here for the papers."

"Uh... yeah and I need more clothes so..." He points at his bag.

"Sure, they're on the table."

Baekhyun nods and leaves the living room. He enters the one that used to be his bedroom and carefully closes the door behind him. He looks around, seeing how everything is just as how he remembers it. The books he left on his night stand are still there, along with his slippers on his side of the bed and his spare reading glasses; the covers are perfectly arranged just the way he likes it and everything seems to be clean; Baekhyun smiles when he remembers pestering Chanyeol about keeping the house dust free, the younger got used to it rather fast. His clothes are still on the same drawers and the toiletries he left are also still there, he wonders why Chanyeol didn't bother on throw all those things away.

Baekhyun sighs as he packs some more of his clothes into his bag as slowly as possible. The feeling of being in that room is too familiar, too comfortable and at the same time it brings so much painful memories. Mixed feelings start to bubble up in his chest because he knows he didn't just come for his stuff, he's here to talk to Chanyeol. He needs to tell him how he really feels, hoping for Chanyeol to understand. The last thing he wants is Chanyeol getting angry, this time for real, for all the mess he made to just back out in the last moment. All this time he's been thinking about it, dealing with the feeling of emptiness every day. They can talk like the two grownups they are, right? They can figure this out, can’t they?

Baekhyun zips up his bag and takes a deep breathe before he makes his way back to the living room. The movie is on again and Chanyeol sits with the popcorn bowl on his lap. Baekhyun smiles a small smile and walks around to sit next to him.

"I can't believe you still watch these movies." Baekhyun comments, swatting Chanyeol’s hand a way so he can have a fistful of popcorns.

"They're pure art, Baek."

"They're boring."

"Wow... I can't believe you." Chanyeol says, placing a hand over his chest feigning disappointment and hurt.

Baekhyun laughs and inches a little closer. "Yeol..." He starts, taking the popcorn bowl out of the way and placing it over the manila envelope. "I want to talk... I was intended to talk to you since that time I left you the note and you─"

"I think we've talked enough, Baek... and I think I never apologized for that, I didn't read it not because I didn't care, but because I was afraid..."

"I know, but... Yeol, I don't think I can do this."

Chanyeol sighs. "I know, you left that very clear, that's why we're getting divorced─"

"No, you don't understand. I don't think I can go through this whole process. I don't─ I love you, Yeol. I─"

"Wait, wait." Chanyeol blinks, confused. "What are you saying?"

"I don't want to lose you. You have no idea of how hard it is already to be away from you─"

"I begged you, Baek." Chanyeol interrupts him. "I begged you to stay and give me another chance." He stands up. "And you just... walked away."

"I was angry! Hurt! At that time I really believed that this was the best for the both of us!"

"And what? Are you going to do the same every time things don't work out? Are you gonna walk away from me when you feel like that again?"

"I want to talk, I want _us_ to make things work again. We were so happy, Yeol─"

"Until I screwed up, I get it, you don't need to repeat that." Chanyeol frowns.

"That's not what I meant..."

"Do you really want this, Baek?" Chanyeol asks after a moment of silence. Baekhyun nods weakly. "Because if you do... I'm willing to do anything you ask me to." The older looks up at him, surprised.

"I just want you to be my husband again. I want to go to sleep and be able to cuddle you, I want to have breakfast with you and go out on the weekends. I want us to snuggle on the couch and watch those boring movies you like so much. I want us to go on trips whenever we can, just you and me, together." Baekhyun doesn't realize he's crying until Chanyeol reaches for his cheek and wipes up a single tear with his fingers; he then uses his hand to cup Baekhyun's face and the older can't help but lean into the touch, closing his eyes and enjoying the warmth of Chanyeol's skin against his.

"We'll do that." Chanyeol mumbles and nods. "We'll do everything you want and more, I promise." He adds and moves to wrap his arms around Baekhyun, the older hides his face on Chanyeol's chest and sobs. "You sure you're not gonna regret this?" Baekhyun shakes his heads and clings tighter onto his husband.

"I love you." Baekhyun mutters. Chanyeol places his hands on his shoulders and slowly pushes Baekhyun away; the older looks at him in confusion, but Chanyeol's smile is enough to calm his heart. The taller leans in to press their lips together, softly and caring.

"I love you too, and I'm really sorry for that time I forced you to... you know. I don't know what I was thinking."

Baekhyun sniffles, shaking his head as he takes his hands to the back of Chanyeol's neck to pull him in again, joining their lips one more time.

...

"See, I told you." Kyungsoo says as he slumps down on the couch next to his husband. Jongin snickers, placing an arm around the shorter's shoulders.

"Yes, you're always right." Chanyeol answers, rolling his eyes. Baekhyun sits by his side, his head resting over his shoulder and one hand over his stomach.

"Baekhyun told me he still keeps the signed papers, you know... just in case." Jongin adds as a joke. A silence fills the room as three pairs of eyes fall on him. "Too soon?"

The answer comes in the form of a cushion right on his face.


	2. Bonus.

Chanyeol sits on the dining table with his iPad on his hands, his glasses perched up the bridge of his nose as he scrolls through the daily news. There's a steaming cup of coffee and a slice of the strawberry cheesecake Baekhyun bought for dessert yesterday resting in front of him. He hears the front door opening and lowers the device, waiting for Baekhyun's greeting. It's Saturday, and he's just returning from a day of shopping with Kyungsoo, but his mood doesn't seem to match his usual cheerful demeanor on this occasions. Chanyeol tilts his head, waiting for his husband to say something as he stands in the living room with his shopping bags hanging from his arms and his phone on his hands; he's looking at the screen, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted.

"Baek... everything okay?" Chanyeol asks and stands up. Baekhyun doesn't answer. "Baby?"

"I just go an email." Baekhyun finally speaks. "From the... adoption agency." Those two words are enough to catch Chanyeol's complete attention. He walks towards his husband and peeks over his shoulder to read what is written on the screen. "They... want to meet with us, Yeol. The agency deemed us as suitable parents to adopt." Baekhyun lets his arms fall on his side, causing all the bags to fall to the floor. Chanyeol is speechless, the only thing he can do in that moment is wrap his arms around Baekhyun on a very tight hug. Baekhyun does the same and buries his face on his husband's chest.

It's been three years since the biggest obstacle they've had to go through and in Baekhyun's opinion, everything has gone perfect since. They did a lot of talk and put all the cards on the table, Baekhyun let out everything he had been bottling up for the past few years and Chanyeol had only sat there, listening carefully, his heart twisting painfully at every word coming out of Baekhyun's mouth. He didn't have the right to complain, nor he had the words to defend himself because Baekhyun was right, there was no doubt on that.

Chanyeol had promised him to change and until the day, he has kept that promise. He learnt to stick to his normal work hours, sometimes bringing some of it home but never neglecting Baekhyun like he used to do. Not even himself could understand how's that it never crossed his mind to take Baekhyun to all those business' parties and introduce him to his co-workers; if he had to be honest, he never really thought about it and that was some stupid mistake. Baekhyun was gorgeous, smart and witty, worthy to show off, and had half of his department drooling over him. Well, maybe that part he didn't enjoy, but his chest would always swell with pride because Baekhyun was his and only his and well... his husband was just perfect in general.

Dates on the weekends became more frequent and even lunch breaks together also became an occurrence at least twice a week. Everything had fallen into place again, they renewed their vows in winter of the following year with the snow as their only witness.

Expanding the family became a serious topic between them. First, it was Smores, the small Welsh Corgi with the biggest ears Chanyeol had ever seen on a small dog ever and the cutest puppy eyes. And after giving it a lot of thoughts and night talks, they decided to go through adoption. It was a long process, they both knew that, but in the end, it was going to be so very worth it. They were visited by several social workers and after long talks about how the space in their apartment wasn't enough to raise a family of three and a dog, they decided to move into a bigger house with the hopeful thoughts that that would fix the problem. After that, they visited the agency a few times to meet the kids. Baekhyun's heart would race at the sight of each and every one of them, but it wasn't enough, he needed to _fall in love_ with them.

It wasn't until one day that they saw her, sitting on her white crib slamming a bunny doll against the mattress while blabbering a bunch of nonsense and making drool bubbles with her little mouth. Baekhyun felt his heart starting to beat faster and faster at every step he took towards the seven months old baby girl.

 _"Her name is Jinhee."_ The social worker had told them. _"Despite of everything she went through, she's the brightest ray of sunshine we have here."_ She continued, looking fondly at the baby, that was then looking up at the pair of strangers with a small smile on her chubby face. Baekhyun knew in that moment that he had found her.

...

"Unfortunately," the social worker says as they sit on her office "Jinhee had a large waiting list and another couple was accepted before you. I'm really sorry."

Baekhyun is speechless.

"But... we can take another look, right?" Chanyeol asks, hopeful.

"Of course, your accepted application still stands. The only thing would be that you’ll need to go through the adaptation process all over again if you decide on another kid."

"Yes, yes, absolutely." Baekhyun is quick to answer, not letting the disappointment get the best of him. There are a lot of kids on that place in need of a home and if he could, he would take them all with them.

The social worker smiles and gets on his feet, urging them to do the same and follow her to the area where all the kids are. It’s as colorful as Baekhyun remembers, divided in different areas with different purposes; there's the classrooms for different levels of education, from kindergarten to elementary school; the dormitories for the older kids, the dining area and far back are the nurseries, where they have babies from new born to two years old. Baekhyun remembers this area perfectly.

They make their way through the cribs, Baekhyun and Chanyeol smile to the kids that happen to look their way but just as the first time, none of them feel the same they felt when they saw Jinhee.

Baekhyun is starting to lose all hope when the sound of a funny sneeze catches his attention. He looks back over his shoulder and scans the place with his eyes until he finds it, in the last crib in the back of the room, leaning against the rails of the crib pops up a thick mop of black hair. Baekhyun looks at his husband and Chanyeol quickly understands; he follows Baekhyun across the room to the last crib and stops.

The boy sniffles constantly, his messy black hair falls over his forehead almost covering his eyes. He's draped on a red onesie with blue feet and the print of a cartoon flame in the front. The baby looks up at them and when Baekhyun smiles, hoping for the boy to do the same, but it falters when the baby just back looks down at his feet. Chanyeol notices that and takes a step closer to his husband, circling his arm around his waist.

"What's his name?" Chanyeol asks.

"We don’t know, he arrived here just a few days ago with no identification papers. The social workers call him Gominnie. He’s one year old." The boy sneezes again.

"Why?" Baekhyun looks at the social worker, curious.

"He loves honey and still refuses to eat anything else." Another sneeze. "Sorry, he caught a cold recently and we're trying to keep him away from the rest of the kids while he gets better."

Baekhyun looks at the little boy with extreme fascination. He can't put into words what he's feeling right now, but his heart is fluttering and his stomach is tickling.

"Yeol..." Baekhyun mumbles, pulling at the hem of his husband’s jacket.

"Yes." Chanyeol struggles to say, unable to look away from the little boy.

"He's..."

"Oh... I don't know if you really want to go through this. He's a very difficult kid, it's a whole battle just to take him out of his crib. He doesn't even want his hair to be cut and we're still working with him."

"It’s him, Yeol..." Baekhyun looks up at his husband.

Chanyeol bites his lower lip before speaking to the social worker. "Can we?" He gestures to the baby. The woman nods.

Chanyeol hesitates for a moment, afraid to be rejected by the boy. He bends over the crib and reaches for the baby's hand. The boy is quick to wrap his little fingers around Chanyeol's larger ones and then he looks up at him, eyes wide and watery.

"Hi baby." Chanyeol mumbles at him. The boy gurgles and pulls on his finger; Chanyeol takes that as his cue to take him on his arms, expecting a ruckus, screams and struggle, but nothing comes. The taller accommodates the boy on his arms, careful of holding his back with his hand and turns around to face Baekhyun under the shocked expression of the social worker. "Say hi to Baekhyun."

Baekhyun lets out a shaky laugh, holding back the tears. "Hi... oh, you're so cute." He says and lifts his hand to carefully caress the boy's face with his fingers.

"Well this is... a surprise." The woman says, still in awe. "You're the firsts ones he accepts this easily."

"He likes us." Baekhyun smiles proudly, now with the baby's chubby fingers wrapped around one of his own fingers.

He looks at Chanyeol and nods at him, knowing since that moment that he would do anything to erase the sadness on those beautiful eyes.

…

"Jaehyun get back here!" Chanyeol yells from the second floor, running down the stairs when he gets no answer. Small black hoodie still on his hands. When he gets to the living room, his husband is sitting on the couch with their son on his lap and a book in front of them. "He doesn't want to put on his sweater." Chanyeol complains.

"What do you think I'm trying to do here. A small story and he'll do it, right baby?" Jaehyun nods eagerly, not bothering on looking away from the pictures of his storybook. Chanyeol sighs in defeat and slumps down next to his two boys.

When the social worker told them Jaehyun was a difficult kid, he had laughed it off and didn't pay any mind to it. Of course, he and Baekhyun agreed that there was nothing they couldn't do and nothing they couldn't change for good in that baby, _"he just needs lots of love",_ Baekhyun had said, ignoring the worried look on the woman.

Is not that Jaehyun is a bad kid. He's the most adorable and sweet boy, ─according to his parents─, but he turned out to be, in fact, a force to reckon with. He's a restless little boy, always running around and looking for one of his parents to play with; he's hyperactive and energetic, it's hard for him to stay still on one place and it's even harder to make him do things he doesn't want to do, like baths and vegetables. Jaehyun still loves honey, so Baekhyun and Chanyeol decided to keep the nickname, using it more often than his name.

Waking Jaehyun up in the mornings and get him ready for school is another struggle, most of the times having to bribe him to make him stay calm and let Baekhyun dress him while Chanyeol makes breakfast.

At first, he was a shy kid, quiet and difficult to reach; but as time passed and with a lot of patience from the both of them, they managed to help him out of his shell.

"He kicked me and ran away." Chanyeol sighs.

Baekhyun quirks an eyebrow and looks at his son. "Is that true, Gominnie?" The boy shakes his head. "You know is wrong to tell lies, right?" Jaehyun keeps his eyes on the book and chews on his lower lip. Baekhyun hates guilt-tripping him, but it's the only way to make his son accept when he has done something wrong. "You know you can't do that, baby. You hurt daddy, you have to apologize." He removes the book from Jaehyun's hands and urges him to go to Chanyeol.

The boy climbs on his father’s lap and Chanyeol feigns ignorance, keeping his arms folded over his chest and his eyes looking anywhere but at his son. He knows how much Jaehyun hates to be ignored; after a few failed attempts of trying to make his daddy pay attention to him. Jaehyun frowns, placing his little hands over Chanyeol's face and forcing him to look at him.

"I'm sorry, daddy." He mumbles, eyes down casted and pouty lips. Chanyeol coos, unable to resist how adorable his son is.

"You have to promise not to do it again"

"Promise." Jaehyun nods.

"Good. Now, can I get a kiss?" Jaehyun giggles and pulls Chanyeol closer to smash his lips on his cheeks on a very wet and very messy kiss. "How about we put this on?" He shows him the hoodie.

"No!" Jaehyun yells and jumps off of his dad's lap.

Baekhyun groans. "I was so close Yeol, so close to convince him." He stands up, snatching the sweater from his husband's hands and following his son upstairs.

…

"Uncle Soo!" Jaehyun squeals the moment Chanyeol puts him on the floor.

Kyungsoo smiles at his nephew and picks him up, leaving a noisy kiss on his cheek. "How are you, Waffle?" Kyungsoo asks, tickling the boy on his stomach. Jaehyun chokes on his laughter and squirms on Kyungsoo's arms.

"Where's Jonghee hyung?"

"Upstairs with uncle Jongin. He's getting ready to play with you."

"Can I go? Daddy pleeeeeeease!"

"Why don't you wait for him here?"

"Please, please, please." Jaehyun chants.

Chanyeol sighs. "Fine, you can go."

Kyungsoo puts him down and he runs off.

"Behave!" Baekhyun warns him, before Jaehyun disappears behind the wall.

"You're late." Kyungsoo says once it's only the three of them in the living room.

"Yeah... you know how hard it is to make Jaehyun get dress."

"You should try and put him on a sport. Anything can be good to help him with all that energy."

"I don't know Soo," Baekhyun scratches the back of his head "we don't want him constantly getting hurt. He's too unpredictable."

"That's the point." He shrugs. "They're going to teach him discipline and imagine going to bed without having to chase him for hours just to get him to brush his teeth. And he's a kid, of course he's going to get hurt."

"That sounds awesome." Chanyeol sighs.

"I guess I'll think about it." Baekhyun nods.

"So!" The moment it's interrupted by a very eager Jongin with two little boys clinging to his legs. "Who's up for some burgers?" He yells and both kids yell back, letting go of his legs and running towards the backyard.

Baekhyun laughs and shakes his head before he realizes. "The grill is on." He suddenly says and jumps off the couch to run after his son before something bad can happen.

They spend the rest of the afternoon between constant chatter and food. Chanyeol chasing Jaehyun around the yard to make him drop the poor frog he picked up before he kills it and Baekhyun thinking that yes, they should probably sign up their son on any kind of thing that would help him drain all that energy he keeps inside.

They talk about the past and how far it seems now, about the kids and about how everything has changed since those two rays of sunshine came into their lives.

It's late when they arrive home. Chanyeol carries a sleepy Jaehyun on his arms and Baekhyun guides him upstairs to avoid his husband from tripping in the dark.

"Yeol." Baekhyun stops him from entering Jaehyun's room. "Can he sleep with us tonight?"

Chanyeol smiles fondly at him. "Feeling nostalgic, huh?" He teases. Baekhyun pouts and nods. That's a habit Baekhyun had picked up ever since Jaehyun came around. Chanyeol thinks it's because their son makes his husband feel safe and protected. Chanyeol agrees and takes them both to their bedroom.

He carefully places Jaehyun in the middle of the bed, removing his shoes and pants to change them for more comfortable ones. They get in bed once they've change too, one on each side, facing each other. Baekhyun grabs his son's small hand and rubs his thumb on his soft skin. Jaehyun snores and moves a little.

"Did you ever imagine us like this?" Chanyeol asks after a moment.

"Before of what happened?" Chanyeol nods. "Not really. Before that I always thought it would be only you and me. Maybe Smores too, but... yeah."

"I did, you know?" His voice is quiet and calming. It lulls Baekhyun to sleep. "I always thought about what it would be to have a family with you."

"You never brought it out." Baekhyun frowns, inching a little closer. Chanyeol reaches for his face to cares it with his fingers.

"I just wasn't sure you wanted the same. I wanted to wait for the perfect moment." He mumbles, his thumb tracing the contour of the smaller's lips. "I think we chose the right moment."

Baekhyun nods and with his free hand takes Chanyeol's hands, kissing his palm to then lace their fingers together from above Jaehyun's head.

"Good night, Yeol."

"Good night, Baek."

 


End file.
